His Lips Pressed to Mine: Our Broken World
by Cloverrrrrrrrrr
Summary: Sequal to 'His Lips Pressed to Mine' - Cato and Clove have been through one game each, fights, makeups, child abuse, stupid 'careers in training', marriage, et cetera Now, they struggle through things like the Girl on Fire, Loverboy, 75th games, rebellion, the start of a family, and more. - Clato - NO LONGER IN PROGRESS.
1. Chapter 1

**_How it Felt with His Lips Pressed to Mine:_**

**_Sequal: Our Broken World_**

Clove's Point Of View

The knife hits it's target. Surprise.

Anger floods through my veins like a dam broke. Anger doesn't make it harder to focus, it makes it easier, it just makes it harder to stop, harder to have self-control.

The knife slices through the air and stabs into the red circle. With every knife is a thought, like that for instance, said 'dammit!'

Stupid decisions are usually made in a time of weakness. I was weak; too weak. Now I must live with what comes next.

My hand releases the knife and it flies through the air, hitting the center of the target again.

That one said, 'ignorant'. Which, I was.

"Clove?" A deep voice calls.

"Hi," I say, turning around to come face to face with my husband of one month. We just got back from the victory tour.

"You never throw like that unless you're angry or upset. What's wrong?" He asks, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Nothing," I say.

"Bull. What's wrong?"

I look around at all the other people in the training center. Cato grabs my hand and we start off towards our house in Victor's Village. We don't say a word on the way there. Not until we are in the safety of our own home. As soon as the door shuts behind us, Cato questions me again.

"What's wrong Clove? Seriously, and don't give me that nothing crap, because we both know that we're too close for me to actually believe it. No secrets. What's wrong?"

I could never hide anything from Cato. He could always see right through it.

I break. I sit down on the couch, pull my knees to my chest, and bawl my eyes out.

I don't hear Cato rush over to me, but I feel his strong arms lift me up, and then I'm laying against his chest, his arms around my curled up body, his chin on the top of my head.

"It's okay, Princess. I'm here. I always will be," He says, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

"Always?" I ask, resting my head against his chest, so I can hear his heartbeat.

"Of course. Why would you even ask that? I'm _never _going to leave you! I _swear _to you," He says, tightening his grip.

"I'm pregnant," I blurt out, my voice broken, cracked, and defeated. Then more tears come.

Cato just holds me while I cry. He says nothing.

"I'm not ready," I say, "I can't do this, Cato!"

"Maybe you can't do it alone, but we can get through it together." Then Cato's face breaks out into a smile. "Clover, we're going to be parents. We are going to have our own family."

I just shut my eyes.

Flashbacks.

My mom leaving, being thrown down the stairs, being beaten for nothing, the long painful nights, the fear, the alcohol. That's what family was to me.

"Clove," Cato says, reading my mind perfectly, "I promise I will be everything your father was not. And as for the old scumbag, he'll never touch our kid, not if we have anything to say about it."

"You're not mad? You're not going to leave me?" I say, feeling stupid for being afraid of how he would take the news.

"_Never, _Clove. I mean, I'm not ready, you're not ready, but we've got months to prepare. It's not going to be easy, but I promise I'll stay with you through it all. I will _never _leave you. Forever, remember? I love you Clo, or should I say Mrs. Clove _Highman._" I giggle. It was hard enough getting through my head that I was Cato's girlfriend, but now I have to get it through my head that I'm Cato's _wife. _

I wrap my arms around his neck. "I love you too, Cato."

"Love never fades or dies. If it does, it was never love at all. But this is love, and this is forever."

Cato put his hand on my stomach, where our baby was growing. Our child. Our flesh and blood. Our chance at our own family.

Cato bend down and kissed my belly, and then connected our lips.

We forgot about Panem, and how they would react to the news, we forgot about not being ready, we were just happy to have each other, and the new addition.

And at that moment, everything felt right in our broken world.

There was just something about the way it felt with his lips pressed to mine.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'M BACKKK! You miss me? Well I started typing again. New ideas! Yay! Be ready for a little CloverCato, Everlark's games, the rebellion, and more! **_

_**And yes, I HAD to include those two commonly used lines (from my previous chapters).**_

_**If you haven't read the first one, go now! It's called 'His Lips Pressed to Mine'**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I haven't wrote in Cato's Point of View in like FOREVER, so forgive me if this isn't my best Cato Point of View yet. **_

* * *

><p><span>Cato's Point of View<span>

Saying that I am completely confused on what I am supposed to do would probably be the biggest understatement in Panem history. I'm going to be a father. What the absolute frick? I don't even know _how _to be a father. I don't even think I have it in me.

It's not that I don't want to be a father, I do. I want more than anything to add to our little family.

"Cato, get out of bed," Clove says softly. I've been laying in the bed for half an hour while Clove took a shower and if I don't get going soon I'll be late.

"No." I say, rolling over.

"Cato. We go through this every morning," She says, pulling on my arm.

I groan.

"_Cato._"

"_Clover._"

"Get your sorry ass outta that bed before I go get my knifes."

"Bring it, Troublefield," I say, pulling the covers up higher.

Clove growls and leaves the room. Next thing I know I'm soaked with freezing cold water. Not just a glass either, a freaking bucket! I'm drenched in ice cold water.

I jump out from under the covers. Clove stands on the other side of the room, laughing, with the empty bucket in her hands.

"You think it's so funny?" I say, stepping closer to her.

"Hell yeah I do," She says, her badass side showing.

I grin as I speak, "Want a hug, Clover?"

"Cato, don't. Please!" She backs away from me. "I'm sorry. Baby, please!"

I chase her around the room before grapping her waist from behind and spinning her around, causing her to giggle. I sit her down and she turns around to face me. I quickly grab her in a hug, and she shrieks at the contact of my bare skin. The water quickly soaks through my old tee shirt that she's wearing.

"Cato, you're freezing!" She screams.

"I wonder why!" I say, lifting her up. Clove wraps her legs around me and runs her hands through my hair.

"You're adorable, you know," I tell her. She laughs.

"And you're incredibly handsome. Now shut up and kiss me," She says, placing her lips inches before mine.

And I listen to her.

Until some jerk starts banging on the door downstairs. I sigh and start to put her down to go get it, but Clove wines and clings to me. I chuckle and kiss the top of her head. I begin to walk, Clove's tone legs wrapped around my waist, her arms around my neck, her head laid against my shoulder. I stop in front of the door, not going to open it with my wife so _under-clothed. _It's not that it bothers me, because I can assure you it does _not. _It just would bother me anyone _else _seeing her half naked.

"Who's there?" I yell.

"It's Brutus you idiot! I'm coming in!" He says. Clove's eyes open wide and she unwraps her legs and sprints up the stairs because she knows he isn't joking.

The door swings open and slams shut, leaving Brutus standing inside of my house.

"Did you just get out of the shower or something?" He asks, pointing to my wet hair and the water dripping of my body.

"Well, um..."

Clove bounces down the stairs, in the same wet tee shirt and a pair of her sleeping shorts, revealing her long legs (Well, long compared to her short size). Clove's hair is still damp from her morning shower and Brutus eyes widen at his assumption.

"Ah. I get why you're both so late to work. Seems you got a little off-task in the shower this morning. If you could please save that type of _entertainment _for on your own time that would be great! You know, when you're supposed to be teaching children, not _making _them," he says.

I'm about to tell Brutus that nothing happened this morning, and I was sidetracked because we already made a child, when Clove opens her mouth first.

"You're just mad because you haven't been laid in 15 years. If I want to have sex with my husband on the training center floor, I will. If I want to have sex with my husband in the middle of an interview with Cesar Flickerman and 100 cameras, I will. And if we want to make love in our own damn home, I promise you, we will." Brutus looks like he just saw a very bad image. Clove continues. "Now that you've ruined this very entertaining morning, can you get the hell of my house?" And this is why I love this woman.

Brutus shows himself the way out without another word. There's laughing behind us. We spin around. Enobaria, golden fangs and all.

"Why do you guys have keys!?" I scream.

"Cato, chill. I heard Brutus pounding on the door and I thought I'd let myself in the back way to see the drama unfold. I have to say, way to go Clove."

"Thank you," Clove says, a smirk on her face.

"Brutus looked like a little boy that peed his pants." We all laugh.

"Enobaria," Clove says, getting serious, "we have a problem."

"Which is?" she asks.

"I don't think I'll be able to work as an instructor for a while..."

Enobaria laughs. "Silly kids, didn't your parents teach you to use protection?" Well, she catches on fast.

Clove blushes and I laugh. "Oops," I say.

"Are you going to keep it?" She asks.

"Yes," Clove says, without thought.

"Good, cause Snow would've made you keep it anyways. I say you don't tell the capitol and then when they interview the both of you as mentors, you bring the child on stage with you and BAM! Baby bomb. Do you want me to tell Brutus?"

"No! I want to expand the speech I just gave him, I'll do it."

Oh good gosh.

* * *

><p>"Brutus," Clove says into the microphone, "Get your pathetic butt into Enobaria's office!"<p>

All the victors have offices in the training center, because they help watch all the trainees to see who should go into the hunger games and they need to keep record and crap.

"What?" Brutus walks into the room.

I sit on top of Enobaria's desk, Clove in my lap, and Enobaria in her nice leather seat.

"Hello Brutus. I just thought I should share with you something. When a husband and wife _love each other verrrrrrry much-"_

"What do you want Clove?" Brutus says.

"Ah, I'll skip to the point. Remember when I was telling you if I wanted to do it with Cato, I would?"

"I remember that conversation all too well," he says, the awkward peeing little boy face showing again.

"Well, one time, while we were - and this is a direct quote from you - making a child, we did a really good job. A REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYY REEEALLLLLLLYYY REALLLLLLL-"

"I get it!"

"Well, now I have a little baby growing inside of my tummy!" she says in a little girl voice, causing Enobaria and I to laugh.

Brutus looks surprised and then mad, as he points at me. "Why are you laughing? Do you think it's funny that you knocked her up?"

"How is this all my fault?" I say.

"You the one that stuck your-"

"We all know how it works, Brutus. And it's okay. Clove is still going to watch the trainees, just not work herself too hard with them, or put herself in dangerous situations. Cato & Clove are happy that they are going to be parents, chill out."

"Like I said, he is just mad because it's been like 15 years since-"

"Clove!" Brutus screams.

I chuckle and Clove and I walk hand and hand out of the office.

* * *

><p><em><strong>How did you guys like Clove's humor in this story? I was laughing so hard while writing this I was like crying. I thought she was being pretty funny in this chapter. I don't know, review my little clovers!<strong>_

_**Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Clato 27 because some of the jokes made sound like things she would say. And because she's fabulous. **_

_**REVIEW PLEASEEEEE. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_** I was reading through and noticed half the time Cato is like a different person. Like he went majorly soft. This will be fixed. So if you noticed his actions are sort strange, that is why. But don't worry! I'm NOT going to make him treat Clove differently. His only soft spot is for her. **_

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><p><span>Clove:<span>

The TV echo's in the room.

_"Natara Brave - ex-wife of Brutus Brave - was found dead this morning in the capitol. She had lung cancer and lost her battle last night, in her sleep. After searching her place for a document about how she wants to be remembered, we found a document about a child she put up for adoption. The child is 18 now, if she is still alive. She was Brutus' daughter. Brutus & Natara broke up 15 years ago. After Natara's death, Brutus is on a search for his daughter, in hope of closure."_

Cato turns off the TV. "That's horrible."

"Yeah. She would have been our age," I say.

"I bet she's still out there," Cato says. "We should help him find her."

"Why? Brutus is a jerk."

"Yep, I agree with you about that, but he's a jerk who helped keep us alive."

"So? That's his job," I say, standing up in front of Cato.

"Would you rather owe him? You know I hate unpaid debts," He says.

"I know." I sit down on Cato's lap and rest my head in the crook of his neck. I trace my fingers across his knuckles.

"We'll just _influence _the Capitol to help him locate his daughter, and then we will owe the old dirtbag nothing," Cato says.

I sigh, "I'll call Snow and ask him to allow us to visit the Capitol and set up a meeting."

Cato kisses the top of my head. "Good girl. Can you make me a sandwich?"

"Make your own damn sandwich," I say, shoving him slightly.

* * *

><p>The camera flashes burn my eyes, and I try to smile and wave. Cato and I stop and pose for the pictures, me leaned against him, my hand lightly laying on his chest, his arm wrapped around my waist. And we smile. Not because we want to, because we have to.<p>

Body guards escort us to Snow's 'house'. Pffft, it's bigger than an arena!

We are lead into the dead center of the building, before being pushed into a small room.

"Cato, Clove," Snow says, turning his chair to face us. "How delightful to see you two. Please, sit down."

We sit down on a soft couch.

"Nice to see you too, President Snow," I say.

"Now," Snow says, "Why are you here?"

Cato answers for me. "Brutus needs to know his daughter. He wants to, but nobody can help him find any records on her. But," he says, staring straight into Snow's eyes. "you probably could. You can access _any _data. Can you find his daughter?"

"Yes, for a price."

"What do you wish for?" I ask.

"Distraction."

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"I need you two to distract the Capitol from how some of the Districts are becoming rebels," Snow says.

"How?" Cato asks.

"Oh, I don't know. 'Problems' is your marriage, maybe?" Snow asks, his narrow eyes staring at us.

"What 'problems'?" I ask.

"Maybe we could make it look like Cato had an affair. Then, you guys would have to work to grow back together."

"What? No way! I love Clove and I'd _never _be unfaithful towards her! I can't do that," Cato says.

"Well," Snow says, his words harsh, "You need to do something. Maybe we could get one of the other victors to have feelings towards Clove so you have competition."

"Who would do that? And how would that distract from-"

"I'm with child," I blurt out. Cato's blue eyes turn to me in shock, surprised I told, considering we agreed not to. "We could have some kind of interview to tell everyone. The capitol will be surprised and excited and it would give you time to deal with the rebels. It would be the distraction you need."

I hope Cato's not mad at me. He didn't want that capitol to know. But what else could I do? I could never pretend to hate Cato. Never.

I release a breath I didn't know I'd been holding when Cato reaches for my hand. Our fingers lock together and I realize how just one touch from Cato can completely calm me. The effect that boy has on me is greater than I ever could have expected.

"Perfect," Snow says, picking up a telephone.

* * *

><p>We have three hours before our prep teams are gonna come force us to get up. I sink deeper into Cato's embrace, dreading the moment that I'll be pulled out of his arms.<p>

"Are you nervous?" Cato asks, running his fingers through my hair.

"Yeah. I just don't want our family to be exploited, you know?"

"Yeah."

We cuddle in silence. It's not the awkward, bad kind of silence though. It's the good silence, those moments of quietness that you savor.

"What do you wanna name him or her?" Cato asks into my ear.

"If it's a boy his name will be Zach. You don't get any input on that one."

"Fine, but if it's a girl, I get to choose," Cato says.

"Fine," I give in, "What would you name her?"

"Her name will be Elaine."

"I like that name. Her middle name should be Cara," I say.

"Elaine Cara Highman. I like it."

"What would it's middle name be if he's a boy?" I ask.

"I don't know yet."

Enobaria bursts through the door. We sit up and face her.

"What is it?"

"The results are back on the search for Brutus' daughter. He doesn't know yet. I wanted to tell you first."

"Okay. She still alive?"

"Yep. Here's the crazy part, she was a District 2 kid. Brutus probably taught her and he didn't even know."

Enobaria hands me the sheet.

"Have you looked at the sheet yet?"

"No. I thought you'd wanna open it. I've gotta go. Later." Enobaria gives a small smile, her fangs shining, before leaving.

"Open it," he says.

"I'm scared. Dude, what if it's Avery?"

Cato laughs and opens it. I shut my eyes.

"It's not Avery," he says, his voice showing surprise. "It's worse."

I open my eyes and grab the paper. "It's Aurora, isn't it?" I ask, scanning the paper. That's when I see it. _Her _name.

_My _name.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okay guys! Guess what! I'm on summer break! Which means first off, my stories will be slightly better written. and second, I will be updating at least every other week, but probably once a week. I don't have much of a life...Anyway: yay, get pumped!**_

* * *

><p><span>Clove's Point of View <span>

By the time I reach the doorknob Cato is yards behind me. This is it. I swing the door open, running into the kitchen of my old house.

"You no good lying piece of shit!" I scream, yanking the bottle out of his hands. I sling it across the room.

"What the hell Clove?!"

"All this time you never thought to mention, hey, I'm not actually your father?" I scream.

His face twists from surprise to anger. His hand collides with my face. My face stings and I finally allow the hot tears to spill from my eyes.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! And it's none of your damn business!"

Without a second of thinking I punch him in the face, cracking his nose. I send a high kick to his jaw.

"All this time I actually thought you were my father.. The years before mom left, even those were fake. You asshole. I _hate _you! I _HATE _you!"

Cato picks me up and takes me away from the house of my childhood and the man who haunts my dreams.

* * *

><p>I spend hours wrapped I Cato's arms. I finally did it. I stood up to my father. Oops, wait. He's not my dad, not really.<p>

* * *

><p>Enobaria and Brutus come over to discuss our game plan now that the baby bomb is out. When Brutus enters I cannot bring myself to look up at him.<p>

"Clove, what happened to your face?" Enobaria asks.

"Long story," I mutter.

"Whatever, have you given Brutus the results yet?" Baria asks.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Cato hands Brutus the papers and pulls me against him. I can't force myself to meet his eyes. He knows.

* * *

><p><span>Cato's Point of View<span>

Brutus' eyes change to pure shock. He looks over at Clove. She has her knees up to her chest and her head buried in the crook of my neck.

"How long have you known?' He asks.

"Three days," I say.

"Wow," He says.

"Wait, did you confront..."

"Yeah," She answers quietly.

"And he hit you?" he asks.

Clove bites down on the corner of her lip and nods her head.

I take ahold of her hands in mine. If that bastard of a man ever comes around her again I will leave an indent in his skull. He tormented my wife, the woman that carries my child, the woman that I love. He hurt my Clove. He hurt her more than the brief pain from his slaps, or punches, or even when he threw her down the stairs.

Brutus stands up and walks out of the house.

"He probably just needed some air.." Enobaria says.

"I'll be right back," I say, kissing the top of Clove's head before following Brutus.

"Hey," I call out, "Wait up!"

Brutus doesn't turn around to answer me, instead he continues walking. "You coming or not?"

Anger bubbles inside of me. I realize it then. I know Clove wouldn't want me to harm him more and so far I haven't. But now he's not her dad.

I want to see his blood spilled. I want to see the life slowly drain out of his eyes. After the games I thought I'd never say that again, but as the monster resurfaces, I know what I have to do.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

><p>Brutus kicks the glass door until it shatters. Clove's 'dad' eyes widen in shock as he sees his. He jumps off his stool in attempt to get away. Ha. Good luck with that.<p>

Brutus throws him against a shelf, knocking it over. He pulls him up by his hair and smashes his head into the wall, leaving a dent and making his already broken nose begin to bleed again.

"When Natara and I gave her up for adoption I thought we'd be giving a better life to her! You're a lowlife dick." Brutus hand collides with his face again.

The 'lowlife dick' shoves Brutus off him and gets a couple hits on him.

I grab a bottle of liquor off the counter and hit him across the face with it. The glass shatters against his skin and he falls to the ground. I break a leg of the stool and begin to beat him with it.

YOU. SON. OF. A. B*TCH.

Brutus wipes the blood off his face and kicks him in the ribs. The man starts to spit out blood.

I walk into the kitchen and grab two long, sharp knives.

"Here Brutus," I say, handing him one.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," I say to the man who tortured my love.

"Sh..she...she.. deserved it," He says.

"I will slap the flesh off of your bones if you dare to say another word about her," I growl.

As he begins to talk Brutus stabs the knife into his shoulder. He screams out in pain. I savor the look in his eyes.

I hear another scream and I realize it's not from him. I turn and see it's from Clove.


	5. Chapter 5

_**"A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world open out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything. And the people of the world were good and handsome. And I was not afraid anymore."**_

_**This quote gave me hope. I cannot allow myself to be afraid of failure. There are no limits to anything. Tomorrow can be a great day to wake up to. People can still be good. Don't give up. Don't ever give up.**_

* * *

><p><span>Clove's Point of View<span>

A scream erupts from my throat. I cannot even begin to process what just happened. A knife is lodged into my dad's shoulder. I suddenly gasp for air, realizing I had stopped breathing. I had stopped functioning.

"Get...a..away.." My dad mumbles, holding onto his shoulder. He tries to push Brutus away.

I turn and run straight out the door. And I don't stop running. Not until I get to Victor's Village. But I don't go to the house that Cato and I live in together. I go to the empty home that belongs to me. And this time, I lock the door.

* * *

><p><span>Cato's Point of View<span>

I yank open the door. "Clove!" I scream, searching our house. No answer. She's not here. And I've looked everywhere. Except...her house in Victor's Village. But she wouldn't go there unless she couldn't bare to be anywhere near me. I steady myself against the wall. I reach out and punch a vase on the dinning room table, sending it to it's death against the tile.

"Damn it! Gosh Damn it!" I scream. She couldn't even come to her own damn home because she couldn't force herself to be around me. What the hell have I done?

I sprint to her house and try to twist open the door. Locked. I bang my fist against the door again and again. "Clove! Please open the door! Baby please. Clo, I'm begging you. Please."

No response. Nor the opening of the door. I run to the side of the house to a window. Luckily, its unlocked. I slide it up and pull myself through it. I look around the house. Curled up in a ball in the corner of the room is a petite teenage girl with long black hair. She is crying. And I know why.

I walk over to her and sit beside her.

"Leave," she says harshly, making no effort to hide her tears.

"Clove, I just wanted to-"

"I said to go!" She screams, turning to face me.

"Clove," I say, tearing springing from my eyes. "Clove, please." I reach out touch her cheek and she flinches. And I swear on Panem, my heart literally broke into a million pieces.

"You...You actually...think I would hurt you?" I say, tears sliding down my cheeks.

Clove's eyes lock with mine, and I see disappointment and sadness, and _fear_.

Then, in an instant, her eyes change to anger and she sits straight up.

"How dare you? He's my _dad! _He raised me! You shouldn't have-"

"He said that you deserved every hit that he gave you. Brutus lost it. Natara wanted a better life for you and you didn't get it," I say.

"Maybe I did deserve it!" She screams.

"Clove that's not even close to the truth! You didn't deserve to be slapped or thrown down the stairs or-"

"Shut up!" She screams, punching me again and again in the chest. "Just shut the hell up!"

I grab her wrists to stop her punching me. I pull her into my chest and hug her. She hits me and tries to get away from me but I don't release her. Abruptly she stops. She sinks into my arms and weeps.

We stay there for hours. A mess of tears, apologies, grief, and kisses.

* * *

><p>I wake up in the dead of the night on the floor of Clove's unused house. She looks so peaceful. I scoop her up in my arms and she quietly moans something about sleeping. I carry her back to our home. I stop on the doorstep.<p>

"Clove, sweetheart?" I say, gently shaking her in my arms.

"Yeah?" She answered, half asleep.

"You need hold onto me so I can unlock the door."

"M'kay."

Clove wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my middle. I use my free hand to get the key and unlock the door to let us in. I shut the door behind me and go back to holding Clove bridal style. I carry her up the stairs and lay her on the bed. I strip of my shirt and shorts and into sweatpants. I toss Clove one of my T-shirts.

"Cato," she groans. "Give me a hand, will you?"

I feel a smirk crawl onto my face.

"Oh, don't get the idea you're getting lucky tonight, because you're not. I'm just tired."

I frown, but still walk over and help Clove slide out of her jeans and pull her shirt over her head. As I slip Clove into the old T-shirt I smile and whisper to her. "You're absolutely unparalleled."

"Woah Cato, since when do you use big words like that?"

"Let's just say I spend a lot of time thinking about you," I say, pulling back the covers.

Clove joins me in our bed and pulls herself against me.

"I think you're beyond compare too."

And then she connects our lips.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I'<em>m _going to finish for you guys. I promise._ **


	6. Chapter 6

Clove's Point of View

I held true to my promise. Cato didn't get lucky, no matter how much I wanted it.

Anyway, when I opened my eyes the next morning Cato was still asleep and there was an annoying knocking at the door. I sighed, knowing it is either Enobaria, Brutus, or on the extremely off chance, my "father". I didn't want to speak to any of them. I had barely forgiven Cato. Hell, I didn't even think I would. I thought it would always be in the back of my mind, and perhaps I was right.

I stood up, swaying slightly from dizziness, and pulled on some sweatpants before crossing to the window. By the look of the now rising sun, it couldn't be earlier then six in the morning.

I heard the bed springs creak as Cato shifted in bed and then floorboards squeaking as he walked over to me. Cato's arms wrapped around me from behind and I relaxed into his chest. His hands rested on my stomach where I had just started to show, our own little boy or girl.

"The sunrise is beautiful," he said.

I sighed. "I guess."

Cato presses his lips right behind my ear. "It'll be okay, Clover."

I rest my head against my husband's shoulder, drifting into a brighter, softer world. I hear the door downstairs creak loudly open.

Cato groans and takes my hand into his, pulling me down the stairs behind him.

Brutus leans against the door, gazing curiously at me, awaiting a response of anger, or sadness, or who knows what. His face is bruised.

I keep perfect posture and look the man straight in the eyes, daring him to speak.

Brutus doesn't move an inch. "Clove," he says, almost indifferently, with only the click of a tongue.

"Brutus," I respond, my voice surprisingly steady and strong, "How is my father?"

Brutus rolls his eyes. "Alive."

I slightly raise my chin. "How kind of you."

"Are you honestly angry at me for beating up a bastard that terrorized you?" He asks, taking a step forward.

"Fine, Brutus." I say, venom beginning to lace into my words. "He did beat me daily. He would hit me, and kick me, and throw things at me, and slash at me with his knives." I take couple of steps and stand directly in front of him. I shove him backwards by his shoulders, into the door. "So yeah, I guess he got what he deserved. But what about the bitch that handed me to that deranged man?" I'm screaming now, my eyes narrowed, my head pounding. "What about the man that thought I wasn't worth keeping? Because _you_," I say, jabbing him in the chest. "_caused this._"

The room begins to spin and a dark tunnel seemed to close in on my vision. I saw Cato rush towards me before everything went black.

The next thing I knew I was in a white room that smelled of hospital. A woman stood over me, she had pink hair and was wearing a doctor's coat. She was a Capitol doctor, but the pink hair was the only indication.

She smiled kindly at me. "Glad to see you are awake, Clove," she said. "I'm doctor Raye."

She helped me sit up and I asked, "What happened?"

"Well, you are quite stressed and it's clearly too much for you to handle. Stress is not good for the baby and passing out was just his or her way of telling you to slow down."

"Is my baby okay?" I ask, a shiver running down my spine for the unborn child.

"As far as I can tell right now, perfectly healthy. I was just waiting for you to wake up to do the ultrasound," Dr. Raye told me and I smiled. "Okay, well I'll just leave you for a little bit and I'll get the daddy in here."

Then she left and Cato was in a little while later. "You scared me half to death." He says, sitting down in the chair next to me.

"Fine," I said, wincing slightly as his hand strokes across my cheek. I remembered the look in his eyes, lusting for blood, about to do what I told him not to. I knew he would never hurt me on purpose, but it still scared me to see what terrible things he could do with hands that can be so gentle and will someday hold our precious baby.

I saw the pain in his eyes when he pulled his hand away. "I'm not going to hurt you, Clover."

"I know." I start, before the doctor came back in.

She chatted aimlessly about baby things while hooking up the machine and applying the cold gel on my belly.

She smiles and points to the monitor. "That's your babies heartbeat. It's a boy."

"Zach," Cato says, his eyes shinning. Our eyes meet and we share this perfect moment, before Cato gets this far away look in his eyes, and looks at his feet.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'm so sorry! I was going to post this like a month ago! This is dedicated to Clato 27! She knows why!<strong>_


	7. Please Read

Dear all of my loyal readers,

I started _His Lips Pressed To Mine _almost TWO YEARS AGO, and I was only 12 when I first wrote the idea on paper. I will always love that story, because it was the first time I really put out my writing, but I will not be finishing the second installment. I feel like I have grown so much as a writer and a human being since I originally started and it shows. It's really hard trying to continue a little kid plot like that. I hope you understand.

**I AM NOT ABONDNING ALL OF MY STORIES. **I will start back on the other stories I have on this account, and I will soon post a BRAND NEW (and far better written) clato fanfiction! Also, if you're a fan of _Surrender To Death _(previously _The Reasons Why _and a percabeth fanfiction) I hope to have a new chapter up in the next week! AND IF YOU ARE A HARD-CORE CLATO SHIPPER, please read my one-shot _Fate is Cruel, Puppet _and my personal favorite, a two-shot called _Lusting Liar. _

I appreciate your love and support about this delicate matter of my first ever story, and hope that the end of this fanfiction does not mean the end of you reading my writing!

PM me anytime!

All of my love,

Clover


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